Saying goodbye to an extended summer, you may be wondering if it’s still a good time to sell your Colorado ranch. Let’s talk about ins and outs. See if we can offer some insight on the ranch market for Fall 2022.
A Colorado Ranch for Investment Land
What is it about Colorado ranches that makes them favorable for investment land? Demand. Why could that be? Location and amenities. A ranch in Colorado sits close to exulted mountain peaks and popular Front Range cities. It’s a beautiful place to look for luxury ranches for sale! If you are a rancher in Colorado, timing for selling your land investment surpasses the regular seasonal home selling cycles. Our ranch market never sleeps.
All of Colorado celebrates the year-round outdoor lifestyle. Just think what happens along the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the Fall. We are out hunting and horseback riding. We hike and even fish. We’re waxing our skis, getting a little new gear, and anticipating the opening of a nearby ski hill.
Our cattle ranchers are prepping for winter, too, even as the pastures and fields yearn to rest under the snow. Autumn is not slow season here.
Simultaneously, there are always investors looking for a safe place to “park some cash”. They often search listings of Colorado ranches for sale. Sellers in a hurry oblige them. Of course, it’s always a good time to sell, if the time is right for you. Life goes on and cycles turn. A ranch owner may retire, a potential buyer sells an asset, a business owner looks for a corporate retreat, someone yearning to get away from city life. Ranches change hands. So, the world turns, and seasons change. If you work with a good ranch brokerage, today can be your best time to sell your big Colorado ranch.
Timing and Preparation
Of course, during the quiet of winter, snow and cold slows down the physical tours and accessibility to remote properties. But with today’s modern tools, we have an increasing number of investors sleuthing around. Facetime, Zoom, drones, and other resources give them a fairly accurate view of land for sale. Who doesn’t want to check out ranches for sale in Colorado during a ski trip to Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, or Vail?
Granted, more farms and ranches do sell during the three warmer seasons. However, sellers owning Colorado ranch investments can use the snowy months to study the ramifications of selling. It takes thought for generational ranchers dealing with sentimental value. If you’re one of these ranch owners, you’ve got to weigh the capital gains tax consequences, for example. The rapid increase in land values has turned older working ranches into a conundrum. A 1031 exchange or other type of strategy could help divide or reinvest the proceeds. Family need to go through the decision-making process. Once they decide to sell, and it happens to be Fall or Winter, a good ranch real estate brokerage firm often has investors waiting on the sidelines.
The brokerage that represents you should be an expert in the type of property you are selling. It’s important to choose professionals with knowledge and understanding of the local areas and experience with ranch sales.
Ranch Marketing
You’ll need to find your niche market and communicate with these investors. During quiet season, there’s less competition from other sellers. Put your emphasis on helping your broker to best market your property. If you sell now, you’ll want to agree on a full marketing plan as soon as possible. Gather the information to create:
• written material
• maps
• temporary photos
• professional photos
• professional video
• website marketing
• social media
• print advertising
As a matter of course, a trusted ranch broker will place resources on the line to put your ranch property in front of many potential buyers. Expect an all-out marketing campaign. Their electronic media, print media, website marketing and network will capture the value of your ranch property. Think over the aspects of the terrain, improvements, and homes on your luxury ranch for sale. Wait ‘til you see the beautiful professional photography and videography employed to illustrate your property’s value.
Comparing Ranch/Home Selling Market
Luxury real estate in general stays on the market longer than medium-priced homes in town. There are simply fewer buyers with the necessary finances. Sellers patiently wait for spring or summer in the regular single-family luxury home market.
In contrast, Colorado’s luxury ranches for sale may veer from that trend. Numerous luxury ranches in Colorado serve as second properties or vacation homes. The importance of the luxury lodge, ranch house, or other accommodations may be highly desirable for winter ski season or a spring fishing lodge or a retreat. These Colorado ranches usually lie close to recreation areas where a visiting buyer could swoop in from the slopes.
Colorado Location
Colorado spans 104,094 square miles from the western plateaus to the 14,000 foot peaks, the foothills to the High Plains. Your location within the state will be a determining factor in your decision to sell your Colorado ranch.
Other Colorado ranches for sale includes a variety of acreages, dimensions, geography, terrain, improvements, purposes, and desirability. If you are flexible about when to sell your ranch, speak to your ranch broker to find out the right time for you, your family, your business—a time that jives with ranch market in your area.
Interest Rates
Remember, you do not need five buyers. If you describe the value, one earnest investor could see the potential of your ranch property in these tumultuous times. Investors want to hold large properties in these tumultuous times. Even rising interest rates do not concern the cash buyers.
This brings us to interest rates in general. Until inflation slows down, interest rates will keep rising. That alone causes many sellers to lower prices to fit the budgets of buyers who will be financing. However, business is slow for lenders during the winter, prompting them to offer lower interest rates. This could help you sell your ranch for a good price.
Hold or Sell Your Colorado Ranch?
The best time to sell your Colorado ranch real estate is when it’s right for you. Decide when it will fit your personal goals, business goals, and circumstances. When possible, we like to sell high and fast. So even though fewer buyers may be active, late autumn and even into the December winter months may be the right time for you. Your trusted ranch broker will adjust your marketing plan to reach land investors in your target plan.
Ranch Brokerages in Colorado
Call Harrigan Land Company in Sedalia, CO at 303-908-1101 to discuss selling your Colorado ranch. Our professionals know the outdoor territory and the value of Colorado land investments. Serving the Rocky Mountain region.
